DIZNEE DEVOLUTION

In response to this post at PowerPop (boy, I sure do link there a bunch...material overlap?) I wrote what was supposed to be a short comment. That of course turned into a REALLY LONG comment, so I thought I would post it here.

It's in reference to Devo 2.0, a collaboration (not at gunpoint) between Devo and Disney. My thoughts transcribed verbatim:

I'm actually VERY excited about this album. A few interesting points:

1) Devo is happily behind this project according to Billboard , so it's not exactly some weirdly soulless Disney appropriation deal (i.e. every obligatory cover on every Hollywood Records album ever).

2) The only track that's been edited for content (as far as I can tell) is "Girl U Want," where the gender is reversed to "boy" for lead singer Nicole. Possibilties for subversion throughout this album are great (which I imagine was like 10% of the point for the band).

3) At least one of these songs ("Whip It" most likely) will play on Radio Disney for at least six months, and depending on ex-new-waver parental support (pick up that f@*!ing PHONE, Timmy! I will NOT listen to another second of Hilary Duff or that Crazy F&%*^%$#ING FROG) it could hold out longer. This gives Devo's relevancy among the younger crowd an extra 10-20 years via Radio Disney Recyclables brand compilations.

4) Disney's "Buzz On Maggie" already foreshadowed this bizarre pairing (see energy dome hat displayed by bee keyboardist in a previous Skye Friday post).

5) They Might Be Giants have already dipped their toes in the corporate waters and seem to have emerged unscathed with, from what I've heard, a pretty great children's album. (I should buy this!)

6) This is actually part of a larger "2.0" series. The next artist? ...You knew it was the Go-Go's before you even started reading this. No wonder Pandora happens to spit 'em out on the playlist occasionally -- a major influence on grrrl-ish teen pop. (Most head-smackingly appropriate/common influences that make a lot of sense when you think about it: Courtney Love and Liz Phair)

7) Devo is releasing their first new material in 10 years, "Cyclops" and "The Winner."

8) "Uncontrollable Urge" sung by preadolescents. Come on, who is not eagerly awaiting this album???

Year-end indigestion

For whatever reason, I left a bunch of stuff out of consideration for year-end purposes. The most common reason: "I have not heard this and have no interest in ever hearing it." But there was also some stuff I'd like to give token placement on top whatever lists.

Hilary Duff: "Wake Up" and "Beat of My Heart" -- I couldn't get my hands on all of Most Wanted for the life of me, so I've only heard bits and pieces. "Wake Up" actually took a while to grow on me, and "Beat of My Heart" I somehow avoided until like three weeks ago. Either could have taken a spot in my singles list, although I actually like "Beat of My Heart" better, despite the incredible #1 RD dominance of "Wake Up," a song never even released as a single! I'm not sure that either of them was released separately -- made it all the way to Top 40 radio from Disney call-ins, which wouldn't be the first (or fifth) time that's happened.

Brie Larson: Finally Out of P.E. -- This Pandora experiment has yielded a few awesome results so far, including Brie, another crossover from the kiddie TV/movie realm. You might recognize her from NOW! That's What I Call Underage!, also known as Sleepover. Anyway, these songs are great. The title track is CLASSIC. (This just in: Brie Larson has the greatest Myspace ever.)

Katy Rose: Because I Can -- This one's from 2004, actually, but forgive me for not finding it until now. I can't believe Katy Rose hasn't gotten more press (she was on the Mean Girls OST I guess) -- for all those poor rock superstars unfairly tagged Avril Lite, here's the one those lazy critics were looking for the whole time. Simulatenously better pop AND more intense lyrically than ever-MOR Avril -- what kind of badass has the nerve to follow a line like "MY EYES BLEED WATER" with a highly processed multi-track vocal harmony chorus ("Watching the Rain")? If all those dopey emo bands ever figure out how to use a vocoder, all hell will break loose. Although I don't think a vocoder's even gonna do it for Teen Pop Mega Hyper Sugar Set random pick Spill Canvas (?????), who Pandora tells me should be in my playlist. (This is where we disagree.) Sorry, Josh, had to be said. (Hey, Katy's dad co-wrote and produced this album with his (then) 16-yo daughter...another family-friendly indie classic!)

Pandora's Box Set (Teen Pop Mega Hyper Sugar Set Debut!)

I'm all about Pandora radio these days for the following reasons:

1) Hot damn, extensive selection!
2) No Radio Disney access in Ithaca (come on Diz, send a battalion of your IP lawyers over to eDisney HQ and start jailing a few token preschoolers so'se we can listen on the Internet! Damn, man...)
3) No commercials! See number 2, too.

Pandora allows you to fashion your own radio station via the Music Genome Project, which assembles an immense catalogue of music by genre, style, and characteristics: for instance, I am currently listening to Sheena Easton because (according to Pandora) "it features pop rock qualities, a subtle use of vocal harmonies, mild rhythmic syncopation, a vocal-centric aesthetic and major key tonality." They have me pegged, all right!

A few other nifty features: you can fashion your station by adding artists and songs to a master list that spews out, on occasion, totally random songs you may or may not have ever heard on based on your preferences (hence Sheena, who I didn't hand pick). Also, they have an RD-esque "pick it or kick it" function, whereby you give thumbs up or down to gold or shit, respectively. Careful, Roger Ebert has that appendage TRADEMARKED.

So! In keeping with my other weekly feature (you know which one) that forces me to get on my ass and blog once and a while, I'm going to attempt a weekly Pandora overview. I kind of liked my free association Radio Disney post a while back (despite wildly inaccurate info I probably should have fact-checked...sorry again, Casper, didn't realize you were a wedding/bar mitzvah/elem. school dance SUPERSTAR!).

One impetus for this is to start forming a rough genealogy/working definition of "teen pop," inserting all data I have at hand into the machine and seeing what it spits out. (For instance, it just spat out Brie Larson. Hey, this song is great!) Example: do Top 40 crossovers (Black Eyed Peas, Yellowcard, whatever else) fall under the umbrella of teen pop or does that qualify more as a peripheral distinction? Maybe we'll find out!

If anyone has suggestions for artists/songs to include in the list, lemme know. I'm revisiting a few threads/reviews/etc. to try to include stuff I might otherwise overlook: Go Betty Go, Krystal, Steps, Lillix, etc.

I'm also thinking about starting a parallel station that emulates CLASSIC (1996-2000) Radio Disney programming, mixing in late 60's bubblegum, Motown, novelties, etc. with modern teen pop.

Before I start this experiment, a few random things, in list form as always:

1. Finally tracked down and watched Skye's "Switched" episode, which was great! The girl that took her place actually had a weird (but it kinda works in its own way) punk affectation thing going on...actually, she kind of sounded like Ian Curtis or something. (When will Joy Division break through to the tween set? Never? Does "Confessions of a Broken Heart" count sort of?) Will discuss further on Skye Friday.

2. Ordered the only Daphne & Celeste I could afford or get my hands on, "Ugly Pt. 1" single. Only a dollar, but their full length is out of print. When I get a lot of money I'll pay some exorbitant out-of-print price along with Fantastic by Toy-Box.

3. Monkee's box set for $25 via BMG, who are brutal totalitarian tightasses but dammit have the best prices in town. Less than half the Amazon price, a little over a third of the list price.

4. Hey, I kind of like "Nth Degree" by Morningwood. Vocals are WAY thinner than I thought they'd be...if M83 kept moving in a bombast pop direction they could have made a more pretentious version of this song with a shittier spell-out chorus. (M-8! M-8! M-8-3!) MW aren't doing themselves any favors by repeating "MOR" a bunch of times, though, stop giving the presumptuous hatas ammo off the bat!

OK, enough of that.

TEEN POP MEGA HYPER SUGAR SET: 1/28/06

1. Hilary Duff - "Come Clean": Nice kick-off song (an aborted playlist actually started with "The Math").

2. Backstreet Boys - "Don't Want You Back": Great song, should have been released as a single, maybe. Was it? More playful than some of the slop in the second half of Hits Chap. 1

3. Jennifer Lopez - "Play": Eh. OK beat, but J-Lo should probably go (ho ho). THUMBS DOWN.

4. Britney - "Baby One More Time": Hell yeah. Sounds so much better in radio format, I've been Britney-binging...these songs were made to be dispersed.

5. IIO - "Rapture": No idea, it's on some club mix. Pretty boring. THUMBS DOWN

6. LFO - "Simon from Sydney": Wrong LFO, assholes! Had to plug in "Summer Girls" separately...not bad, but now I've got a bunch of moody electronica clogging up my playlist! Thpth. THUMBS DOWN

7. DJ Me DJ You - "People Together": WTF? Kitchen sink DJ/acoustic with guitar, horn section, and an LFO (the correct one) wimp-rap chorus. I kind of like it! Something about eating chicken wings with the girl of your choice.

8. Steps - "Chain Reaction": From the Metal Mike Voice kiddie encyclopedia:

Steps: What the hell is "5,6,7,8"? A song, a hoedown, or what? Steps are a great five-piece walking example of what NOT to wear, how NOT to dance. DAFT. Despite that, I kinda like them. Most of their U.K. singles are truly catchy, and they have two almost identically sounding lead singers with excellent voices (but NO rhythm). The red-haired girl who can't sing is MEGA-cute, huge teeth and giant Elizabeth Hurley accent. The two guys are strictly from Planet Doofus. One of 'em looks like he's wearing a life preserver onstage. And what is with wearing all-white? Did they take acid at an Angel concert before they were born? They dance so bad it would make Mandy Moore feel good.

Never seen/heard this band or "5,6,7,8"...description sounds about right. Really bizarre Euro dance lite, like later A*Teens but even less good. Kind of fascinating, though...what the hell is up with the crooked-ass beat?

9. Pizzicato Five - "Playboy Playgirl": Sweet! What a strange but pleasant surprise...so are Pizzicato Five "teen pop"? Is there a name for teen pop that caters exclusively to a hipster audience? Like "metapop" (ugh) but younger...I hereby dub it "tweenster pop." (Hint: rhymes with "scenester!" Clever!) Trademarked.

10. Sheena Easton - "Telefone": Not familiar with Sheena Easton, really. Not bad, I guess.

11. Celine Dion - "I'm Alive (live)": ACK! ABORT! ABORT! THUMBS DOWN!!!

12. Puretone - "Addicted to Bass": Boring techno. Reluctant passable grade.

13. Crazy Frog - "Axel F": THERE it is. Have you listened to the Kidz Bop version yet?? Check yesterday's post! I'ts so cute!

14. David Carretta - "So Lonely": Siiiigh, boring techno! Constipated Europeans saying random shit over stupid beat = THUMBS DOWN!

15. Ashlee Simpson - "Giving It All Away": Damn, I gotta get Autobiography. It's on the way.

16. Brie Larson - "Hope Has Wings": This song rules! THUMBS UP!

17. Huckapoo - "Perfectly": Sweet! Could this be a KILLER SEQUENCE in the making...?

18. Brendan Benson - "Sittin' Pretty": Bleah. Guess not. Not terrible, but learn how to write a pop song! Too undergraddish pop-up collar-y...stop hiding your hooks in campus center makeshift stage goofball vibes. Reluctant pass.

19. Morningwood - "Nth Degree": A grower, liking it more with each listen. This song is pretty much all-awesome (louder! Harder!) Except you REALLY have to mean it, still seems half-assed...bring Andrew WK in on this and avoid a smirkfest, it's not CUTE and it's definitely not IRONIC (and META still is not a word) but it could be REALLY GOOD.

20. The All-American Rejects - "Dance Inside": I'm hearing some Killers, some emo, the semi-glam (pseudo-glam?), a couple of OK ideas. Eh, pass. (I've heard of this band, right?)

21. British Sea Power - "Fear of Drowning": Totally unacceptable. Is this some kind of indie rock saturation conspiracy? Plus I just saw BSP in BMG's "pop" section. Not a bad song...actually, I guess it is a bad song. THUMBS DOWN

22. Kelly Clarkson - "Before You Love": American Idol era. Girl can sing, but (obviously) good songs and a good producer are of greater importance than pipes.

23. Jesse McCartney - "Because You Live": Nice. The boy bands clearly only needed one guy at the helm + studio backup...hm, increasing reliance on a unified (i.e. one person) public image? Back to weird standards of identifiable singular authorship? What's great about the boy band model is that it encourages anonymity, discourages individualistic achievement/authorship and promotes collective creation. Q: Were BSB kinda sorta Marxists? (A: No, they were Maxists!)

24. Fleetwood Mac - "As Long As You Follow": Well, Lindsay makes a case for Fleetwood Mac as teen pop. But I say it goes -- at least this song. "Edge of Seventeen" is a different story. THUMBS DOWN

25. Fefe Dobson - "Everything": Skye got her start with Fefe Dobson, also from Toronto. Hadn't heard her before now, I like! THUMBS UP

26. PJ Harvey - "Sheela-Na-Gig": I like PJ Harvey enough not to kick this one.

27. Giant Drag - "High Friends in Places": But now I have to put the smackdown. Don't test me, Pandora!

28. Britney - "Boys": OK. But my interest is dwindling.

29. Ashlee - "L.O.V.E.": Yeah, yeah, yeah...good...let's wrap it up...

30. Madonna - "Bad Girl": A computer is clearly responsible for the following and final stretch of this playlist. This song is TOO LONG and TOO NOT GOOD. THUMBS DOWN.

My patience has been tested with what feels like a poorly executed "teen night" cool down. I never did get to ditch early to go make out on the soccer field (there were parental commandos everywhere even if I could find someone. I remember two 7th graders walking up to me and saying, "you know everyone thinks you look like an idiot dancing, right?") Boring Japanese diva (Ayumi Hamasaki, "P.S. II"), TERRIBLE self-serious LFO (the correct one) ballad ("I Don't Wanna Kiss You Goodnight") and...Kraftwerk??? Fucking computers. Pandora sez:

Based on what you've told us so far, we're playing this track because it features disco influences, chill rhymin' [?], prevalent use of groove [??] and many other qualities identified in the music genome project.

THUMBS DOWN, THUMBS DOWN, THUMBS DOWN, AND I'M OUT!

WILL WE LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER SKYE FRIDAY?

Decided to pick up the blogging again, somewhat sporadically. Is it the final throes or a posting renaissance? What to start with...hm, gee can't really decide...ohhhh, I dunno, how about...

SKYE NEWS.

A heckuva lot has gone down in the Skye Universe since November -- most on the DL, with only cursory reports from Ms. Sweetnam, who is currently still soaking up sun in Los Angeles (I think). Let's do a breakdown:

NEW ALBUM:

Skye's new album is still being rerecorded on the West Coast. There is a scattered tracklist (one song is allegedly called "Contagious Monkey"...do I have that right? What?), but no recordings have surfaced yet. So we'll have to work with Sea World -- not a great performance (in Skye's own words) and probably a bad judge of things to come.

Facts: The album will be released in late June. No label/PR/whatever shenanigans this time, please, Skye has a FAN BASE and they deserve a bit of respect! Speaking of whom, one of them is STILL waiting on his interview questions, which are now embarrassingly out of date!

Rumors: Skye's recording a few songs with the Matrix. I haven't read anything to substantiate it outside of board talk, so perhaps it's all hogwash, but I really don't want to believe it. If it is true, I'll put in my two cents: the Matrix has NOTHING to offer Skye except their reputation. Listening to the most heavily Matrixified Avril stuff again, it's clear to me how overbearing the production style is -- instead of filling out sound naturally, the Matrix tends to completely saturate...a lighter touch will yield consistently excellent pop songs, and at this point a general aesthetic misstep is VERY harmful. Remember, she's first and foremost a bubblegum brainiac, not a plodding, moody adolescent upstart, or some other such confessional crap. Remember when Lindsay Lohan forgot how to have fun? KISS - Keep it sugar, stupid!

Anyway, the last thing Skye needs is a gloomy Evanescence vibe (or maybe Aly & AJ...who now have commercials on MTV or something, saw one at the gym...bleah). Or worse, the duo could simply misinterpret Skye's style entirely, a la Mooney Suzuki. This seems less likely because 1) Skye is clearly smarter than the Mooney Suzuki, and 2) James R should have some semblance of a hand in the rerecording process. Although I dunno, I wasn't really feeling this Esthero album so much...different post. (Coincidence that it wound up in the radio bin...weird.)

OTHER SWEET(NAM) STUFF IN RANDOM ORDER:

1. Barbie Diaries also got pushed back, but it looks great from what I've seen.
2. I voted for "Part of Your World" on my Pazz n Jop list, though I'm starting to think that "Sugar Guitar" would have been the better choice. I've listened to the Disney track over "SG" about 30:1, but I dunno.
3. Skye's fans are to be called "Skye Soldiers" now. Which makes my unofficial title (that's The Skye Captain to you, landlubber) a little too authoritative. Honestly it was just supposed to be a pun.
4. The b04rd found the ol' blog again. Flattered, guys n' gals (I hope you're all practicing Skye Friday semiregularly, I'm beaming ya know), but I don't do message boards these days. Just a friendly occasional lurker.
5. Speaking of boards, ILM has a Rolling 2006 Teenpop thread now, which I don't think I'll be participating in. Fun to read, though.

NON-SKYE GRIPES AND MUSINGS:

1. Stylus recently had a so-called ABBA appreciation week, which consisted of one weekly feature essay by an editor and NO daily features OR a comprehensive (or even surface-level) review of the monumental ABBA Box, which I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas. I've been poring over the liners and absorbing the music and videos. The historical stuff is pretty standard but relatively thorough.

Aside from the expected indie devotee bitching, there has been no thorough conversation or analysis of ABBA's output on the comment thread, either (wasn't expecting one there, I suppose, but it might have redeemed the lack of coverage through the week). For a group that, globally, is in the same sales echelon as Elvis, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson, ABBA gets no respect. The Stylus essay is entry level stuff ("Hey remember 'Dancing Queen'? Well there's more where that came from!") and doesn't acknowledge much of ABBA's most important later material.

The most glaring ommission is no mention of The Visitors; admittedly, Agnetha and Bjorn's divorce is cited as a partial impetus for Super Trouper, but The Visitors is more direct and, in my opinion, much more poignant in this regard. As it was recorded during Frida and Benny's divorce, it encompassed two relationships disintegrating and found stronger songs amid the chaos -- "When All Is Said and Done" is pretty much the best uplifiting song about life after divorce ever written! Even the mid-album novelty ("Two for the Price of One") finds unlikely pathos in a silly situation.

The essay is reductive -- perhaps to be expected when the topic is given such haphazard and limited treatment in a purported "week-long event" -- but also revisionist, wasting a good three paragraphs to expound on how "metapop" (what's "meta-" about it?) like Annie and Robyn has supposedly helped to bring ABBA back into the spotlight. There's some validity there, depending on which hypothetical audience is being invoked (Stylus readers? Closet pop fans? Both groups are a tiny minority in the grand scheme of ABBA's enormous international audience...how about that Broadway business as a sales booster?) but it still seems like a stretch, especially given the lack of real analysis of an extensive and diverse body of work.

Also, the author's suggestion that love for ABBA amounts to a growing appreciation for "irony" is disrespectful to the band's ongoing legacy. ABBA had a great sense of humor without needing the projected irony of smug young listeners who clearly don't detect the honesty and pathos in many of these seemingly facile pop songs. Which isn't to say that the intentionally facile novelties aren't classic, too. Context is key, and "irony" is not the right approach to this ouevre, even if it might work for Girls Aloud or whoever.

2. NOTE TO WORLD: META IS NOT A WORD! William Safire rules.

3. Haven't done writing links in a long while, so here's everything I've written since Novebemerish:

Ithacan Column: Skye Sweetnam
Ithacan Column: Overlooked Albums
Ithacan Column: Pop Quiz for Indie Kids
Buzzsaw Article: Bratz/Manufactured Pop

4. And finally...

Your Pazz & Jop albums ballot was submitted as follows:

1. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree - 4AD (15)
2. Busdriver - Fear of a Black Tangent - Mush (14)
3. Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike - USA Side 1 Dummy(13)
4. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Naturally - Daptone (12)
5. Ashlee Simpson - I Am Me - Geffen (11)
6. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday - Frenchkiss (9)
7. Jamie Lidell - Multiply - Warp (8)
8. MIA - Arular - XL (7)
9. Datarock - Datarock Datarock - Young Aspiring Professionals (6)
10. Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir - Rough Trade (5)

Your Pazz & Jop singles ballot was submitted as follows:

1. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone - RCA
2. Ashlee Simpson - Boyfriend - Geffen
3. Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl - Interscope
4. Lindsay Lohan - First - Universal
5. Skye Sweetnam - Part of Your World - Disney
6. Crazy Frog - Axel F - Universal
7. The Killers - Mr. Brightside - Universal
8. Robyn - Be Mine - Konichiwa
9. Art Brut - Good Weekend - Fierce Panda
10. Bratz - So Good - Universal

SO GOOD to be back...and fer yer troubles...

LOVE FOR LOVE FOR NANA ON A SPECIAL SKYE FRIDAY!

(Edit: These tracks don't seem to be linking properly -- I'll try to sort it out)

Skye Sweetnam - Sugar Guitar

Beat 7 - Love for NANA Theme

NANA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WAR CONSOLATION PRIZE!

KB - Crazy Frog


Thanks to jolteon11 for a kick-ass logo for Skye Soldiers everywhere

2006

Cigars
01. Marit Larsen - Under the Surface
02. The Ark - State of the Ark
03. Margaret Berger - Pretty Scary Silver Fairy
04. Paris Hilton - Paris
05. The Veronicas - Secret Life Of...
06. Amy Diamond - Still Me Still Now
07. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
08. Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
09. BWO - Halcyon Days
10. Pink - I'm Not Dead
11. Fergie - The Dutchess
12. Girl Talk - Night Ripper
13. Miranda! - Sin Restricionnes (2004 Argentina)
14. Marie Serneholt - Enjoy the Ride
15. Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way
16. Lillix - Inside the Hollow
17. Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love
18. Arctic Monkeys - [Terrible Long Title]
19. LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
20. Devo 2.0 - s/t

Beyonce - B'Day
Delays - You See Colours
Destroyer - Rubies
Dr. Octagon - Return of Dr. Octagon
Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
Flyleaf - s/t (2005)
Kristy Frank - Freedom
Guillemots - Through the Window Pane
Hannah Montana - OST
Man Man - Six Demon Bag
Meg and Dia - Something Real
Joanna Newsom - Y's
Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
Katie Neil - EP
The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love
Marion Raven - Here I Am (2005 Norway)
Rihanna - A Girl Like Me
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
Spank Rock - Yoyoyoyoyoyo
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
YMCK - Family Music (2004 Japan)
Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Cigarettes (# = soundtrack, compilation, etc.)

Cream of Wheat Brand
The Ark - One of Us Is Gonna Die Young
BWO - Chariots of Fire; Temple of Love
Cansei de Ser Sexy - Let's Make Love and Listen Death from Above
Girl Authority - Hollaback Girl
Nelly Furtado - Maneater
Paris Hilton - Nothing in This World
Marit Larsen - Don't Save Me; Only a Fool
Kidz Bop - Crazy Frog (Axel F)
Lillix - Sweet Temptation
Miranda! - Don
Hannah Montana (nee Miley Cyrus) - I Got Nerve
Prince - Black Sweat
Rihanna - SOS
Marie Serneholt - That's the Way My Heart Goes; I Need a House
The Veronicas - 4Ever
Young B and DJ Webstar - Chicken Noodle Soup

Whole Wheat Brand
Lily Allen - LDN
Aly and AJ - Rush; Not This Year
The Ark - Clamor for Glamour
Ashley Parker Angel - Let U Go
Belinda - Ni Freud Ni Tu Mama
Black Eyed Peas - Pump It
Blog 27 - Hey Boy
Chamillionaire - Ridin' Dirty
Ciara - Get Up
Delays - Valentine
Amy Diamond - Don't Cry Your Heart Out
Hilary Duff - Play with Fire
Fergie - Fergalicious
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Hannah Montana - Best of Both Worlds; Who Said
Hi_Tack - Say Say Say
Paris Hilton - Screwed; Stars Are Blind
Jonas Brothers - Mandy
Kim-Lian - In Vain
Megan McCauley - Tap That
Meg and Dia - Monster; Indiana
Morningwood - Nth Degree
Ms. Peaches - Fry That Chicken
Sarah Nixey - Strangelove
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler
The Pack - Vans
Persephone's Bees - Nice Day
Phoenix - Long Distance Call
Pipettes - Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me
Sugababes - Red Dress
Mihai Traistariu - Tornero
The Veronicas - Everything I'm Not
Weird Al - White and Nerdy
Wigwam - Wigwam
Matt Willis - Up All Night
Young Leek - Jiggle It
YMCK - Magical 8bit Tour
Bertine Zeitlitz - 500

Wheat Brand
Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man
Lily Allen - Smile
Amerie - Take Control
I'm from Barcelona - We're from Barcelona
Beyonce - Deja Vu
Janet Jackson - Lookout Weekend
Courtney Jaye - Can't Behave#
Cheyenne Kimball - One Original Thing#
Lil' Chris - Checkin' It Out
Madonna - Sorry
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
Pet Shop Boys - I'm with Stupid
The Similou - All This Love
Jessica Simpson - Public Affair

No Cigars
Lily Allen - Alright, Still
Ashley Parker Angel - Soundtrack to Your Life (OK maybe like 1/2 a cigar)
Danielson - Ships
Nelly Furtado - Loose
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Islands - Return to the Sea
Jonas Brothers - It's About Time
Cheyenne Kimball - The Day Has Come
The Knife - Silent Shout
Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites
Mr. Lif - Mo Mega
Christina Milian - So Amazin'
Pipettes - We Are the Pipettes
Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off
The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty
Various Artists - Aquamarine OST
Various Artists - High School Musical OST

Processing
Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics
Cat Power - The Greatest
CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy
Futureheads - News and Tributes
Ghostface - Fishscale
Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
Jojo - The High Road
Killers - Sam's Town
Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor
Nina Pallot - Fires
Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only
TV on the Radio - C is for Cookie
Scott Walker - The Drift

Searching
Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love
Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
Sara Paxton - The Ups and Downs
Persephone's Bees - Notes from the Underworld
Platinum Weird - Make Believe
Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair
Skye Sweetnam - Sound Soldier
Jillian Wheeler - [untitled]
Bertine Zetlitz - My Italian Greyhound

Oops! ...Overlooked in 2005
Amy Diamond - This Is Me Now
Miranda Lambert - Kerosene
Brie Larson - Finally Out of P.E.
Hope Partlow - Who We Are
Huckapoo - Huckapoo (unreleased)
Rachel Stevens - Come and Get It
Various - Darcy's Wild Life OST